Morgan Rice - A Clash of Honor

Thor thought about that, and realized that his power was imperfect. It did not always come when he summoned it, and it did not always work. He also seemed to get tired quickly after using it. He wondered if that was because he was human, too. Did that riddle him with imperfections? He felt that it did.

As Gwen closed the book, Thor could not feel certain anymore of who or what he was, or what his place in the world was. Was he a Druid? Was he a human? He felt as if he were caught between two worlds, a half-breed perhaps, not a true Druid, yet not a true human. He wondered if Gwen thought any less of him for that.

“I hope you don’t think of me as different,” he said to her.

She shook her head.

“No, of course not,” she said softly.

“Because all I want is to be like you,” Thor said. “To be human. To be normal. I’m grateful for whatever powers I have, but I never asked for them. I just want to fight fair and square, like any other warrior. I just want to train and become great, based on my own efforts. I feel as if I am cheating when I summon a power.”

Gwen shook her head.

“You are doing nothing wrong,” she said. “This is who you are. You are meant to be who you are for a reason. All destiny has a purpose. To not fully embrace who you are-that would be wrong. That would be rejecting the fates. We are born with our special powers for a reason. And we are born with our limitations for a reason, too. They make us stronger.”

Gwen reached over and grabbed another book, a beautiful thick book, covered with a gold and silver plate, and slid it over to Thor. Thor reached out and held it with both of his hands, looked down at the incredible craftsmanship, the emblem of the falcon, of the MacGil family, and he felt a tremendous energy coming off of it.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The Chronicle of the Ring ,” she answered. “It was written nearly a thousand years ago. It not only charts all the history of MacGils, it also tells the story of the Great Divide. Back when the Ring was one kingdom. Before the Highlands. Before the McClouds. It goes back even to before the Canyon. When the Empire was one. When there was no divide.”

Thor stared at the book in wonder.

“But it also goes forward, into the future. They say it was written by a council of scholars and mystics and sorcerers. This council knew everything, saw everything. And they set it all down in this book. They talk about things that happen even today. They talk of seven generations of MacGil Kings. They predict that the seventh would bring a great evil upon the Ring. They do not mention Gareth by name, but they describe him in action.”

Thor looked at the book with a new respect. He pulled back its heavy lid, and flipped through its pages, crinkling as he went, running his hand along the ancient, handwritten script which he could not understand.

“What else does it say?” he asked.

“It talks of the eighth MacGil ruler,” she said. “It says that he will bring destruction to the Ring unlike any we have ever known. Yet he will also bring great change and the Great Peace. It is a mysterious prophecy. All the others are clear, but this one is vague. I do not understand it. Neither does Aberthol. If Argon does, he is not telling us. I have checked all the sources, and I can get no clarity. Our best guess is that this book is unfinished.”

Gwen reached over, closed the book, and looked deeply into Thor’s eyes, with an intensity unlike any he’d ever seen. Her eyes shone with scholarship.

“Do you understand what this means?” she asked. “If I am to rule, I will be the eighth MacGil ruler. That is me. I do not wish to be the harbinger of destruction. This prophecy, it scares me. I can’t help but feel as if I’m a cog in the wheel of destiny, as if I’m destined to bring some great doom on my people, no matter how hard I try. Unless of course, I am killed, and the eighth MacGil ruler is someone else.”

Thor sat there, trying to follow her quick wit, her bouncing between books with a dexterity unlike any he’d ever seen, her depth of knowledge. He tried to process it all. He was about to ask her more questions, when suddenly a horn sounded from high up above, from the top floor of the building, echoing down the spiral staircase, all the way down to this chamber.

Suddenly Gwen stood, looking alarmed.

“Aberthol,” she said. “He never sounds the horn unless it is pressing, unless someone has arrived here for me.”

She hurried from the room, and the two of them climbed up the flights of stairs, circling all the way to the top, then continued down the corridor and out the front door, Krohn following.

Thor raised his hands to the harsh sunlight, squinting, as he made out the figures before him. He was surprised to see his friends-Reece, O’Connor, Elden, the twins-along with several Legion members, on horseback, waiting for him.

“Sorry to break this up,” Reece said, “but Kolk’s orders. We need to go. The Legion has been dispatched for rebuilding. Squadrons are already beginning to line up, and you are captain now. They won’t leave without you.”

Thor felt his stomach drop at the thought of leaving Gwen, but he nodded back to the others.

“I’ll be there momentarily,” Thor said. “Go ahead without me.”

Reece nodded in understanding, and corralled the others, and they turned and galloped away, back down the hill.

Thor turned to Gwen and saw the distress in her eyes. It was their final moment, before he left. He needed to ask her the question. Now, more than ever. But he saw the sadness in her eyes, and he did not feel that the time was right.

“Will you be safe here, alone?” Thor asked.

She nodded gravely.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But you can’t stay in the castle,” Thor said, concerned. “Not with Gareth there. It is not safe.”

She shook her head.

“I will stay at my mother’s castle. No one knows of it. I’ll await your return there.”

“When I return, if you have not found a way to depose Gareth, we will flee this place together. I will bring you to a place of safety.”

“There is nothing to worry for,” she said. “Gareth tried to ship me off, and he failed. There’s no way he can harm me now. Too many soldiers are aware of his treachery. I will be fine. And you will be back in a short period of time.”

“Let me, at least, leave Krohn with you,” Thor said.

Krohn, beside them, whined, and jumped onto Gwen, licking her.

“He will watch over you here, in my absence,” Thor added. “And when I return, we will be together. Forever this time.”

Thor leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back. He felt transported by that kiss, and he held it as long as he could. A cool fall breeze rushed over them, and he wanted this moment to last forever.

Slowly, he pulled back. There was a tear in Gwen’s eyes.

“I love you,” Thor said.

“I love you too,” she answered.

Gwen stood there, outside the House of Scholars, and watched as Thor disappeared yet again, riding into the horizon with his Legion members. Once again, she felt a pit in her stomach. She did not feel the same sense of desperation she’d felt when he’d left for the Hundred; it was different, since at least this time he would be coming home soon, and this time he was not risking his life in a dangerous place, but merely helping villages rebuild close to home. He would also be surrounded by loyal friends, and she felt confident he’d be safe; and she, for her part, had Krohn by her side, had her mother’s castle to hide in, and had the other soldiers behind her, who were now at least aware of the depth of Gareth’s treachery.